[NB. Sorry for the delays, the plot arc is quite disjointed in my head, and I've been struggling to hook it all up together in a way which makes sense and doesn't seem likes it's rushed. This chapter is also much shorter than I wanted.]
Accompanying soundtrack: Kelis – "Milkshake"
The kettle boiled and Jen made the coffee, finally recovered after the mornings exertions and ever thankful for the beautiful ginger temptress that was in her life. She held the warm cup in her hands and leant against the kitchen counter whilst she waited for Tilly to join her. She didn't have to wait long as a grinning face appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
"Hmmm, Just what I've always wanted", and she walked towards Jen with an expectant face and a saucy wiggle, only to completely mislead her as she reached round behind Jen and swiped up the cup of coffee. She inhaled it deeply.
"You better watch it, Ginger Princess!" Jen smirked. Tilly grinned as they stood side by side.
"This…." Tilly started, "I could do forever." She turned her head to the left towards Jen. Almost embarrassed her eyes skirted up and down before settling on a point on the floor.
Jen switched her cup between her hands, and brought the left one up under Tillys chin, warm fingers settling a moment before they raised her head to bring their eyes to meet.
"I want to do this forever." Jen smiled. A smile of depth and of warmth almost impossible to convey, yet somehow she managed to with that single movement of her mouth. She put her cup down on the side and drew Tilly into a monstrous hug. The shorter woman muttered muffled incoherencies and Jen pulled back slightly, seeking clarification.
"Your breasts were smothering me!" Tilly repeated, giggling, but then she buried her head right back into the same place.
"That surely would be one of the better ways to die!" Jen laughed. "Tombstone inscription: 'Death by breasts!'" She hugged Tilly even closer, Tilly's shoulders shrugging with laughter until she was finally pushed away.
"What do you need to do today?" Jen asked, she hoped for the answer 'Nothing' or preferably 'You' but was disappointed to hear neither.
"I need to go home, babe. I have work to do. It's not a lot, but it needs to be done before tomorrow." Tilly saw Jen's disappointment and countered it in the best way possible, "But I'll come back tonight?" Jen smiled and nodded.
"I'll run you home, finish your coffee."
As she waited, Jen messaged H.
"Sunday Lunch?"
Jen looked at her watch. 10:15am. There was possibility H would still have company, but the response was still comparatively quick.
"Yes. Just one more thing to do, then I'll kick her out. Pub at 1?" Jen rolled her eyes. Tilly laughed.
"Yes, I'm meeting the Village Bike for lunch at 1. When you're done let me know and I'll come and get you."
Tilly waved Jen goodbye as she pulled away and Tilly walked up to the front door. Inside everything was quiet, and relatively tidy save for a few cans and a pizza box. She opened the curtains, made herself a coffee and sat down for a moment and thought of the previous night. It was a big step to fix things with George; monumental even. She daren't consider not having that friendship in her life. Lost in her thoughts she didn't hear feet padding down the stairs behind her until someone appeared in front of her.
"Morning!" George's grin beamed at her. "I wasn't sure who'd come back, so I came to see."
"Yup, it's me. I've not seen Callum." Tilly smiled back, a happy and reassured smile that last night wasn't a dream and things were (heading) back to normal.
"Ah." He nodded. "I didn't mean Callum – he's upstairs. He didn't go out last night." Tilly looked confused for a second.
"Oh, right. Er, you mean Esther?"
"Yes! After we'd had our little discussion outside last night, when I went back in to find her… the little scamp was playing tonsil hockey with some older lass! Arms all over the place!" Tilly was taken aback slightly, and George drew his hand over his mouth and smiled as he realised maybe he shouldn't have told Tilly this, but he could never refuse a good gossip.
"So she's not here then."
"Nope! In fact I ended up coming back earlier than expected as a result because they disappeared off into the night just after 11!"
"I'm surprised," Tilly said quietly. "I didn't think that to be Esther's style."
George shrugged his shoulders.
"You've not been part of the conversations I've had with her. She's doing the standard 'I'm done with relationships' thing everyone says when they've had their heart broken." George stopped for a second, as he realised what he was saying, and to whom.
"No, you're right. No need to stop, it's the truth. I did break her heart. Unintentionally, but I did." Tilly fell silent. George quickly continued.
"Yeah, she's trying on a new colour. The 'hit and run'. I'm not entirely sure it suits her. She's too sensitive and…" George hesitated.
"Insecure, George, is the word you're after. Bravado is one thing, but we can't switch the way we act overnight. She's looking for self-affirmation through others showing interest in her. We all do it. It makes us feel good. But some need it more than others."
It was a painfully direct comment, and Tilly was brutal with it, but she felt the need to justify it when she saw the look on George's face.
"Esther doesn't sleep around. She doesn't have the emotional capacity. She's flattered by the attention, but she'll never be the aggressor. And waiting for other people to pick you out of the line up doesn't count." She sighed. "Esther waited two years for me between Abersoch and when we finally got together in Hollyoaks. And in all that time there wasn't anyone else. And for her there hadn't been anyone before either." Tilly shook her head. "I still care for her, and no good will come of this. Look after her please George. She'll only get hurt even more." Her eyes pleaded. George nodded.
"Thank you," Tilly said softly, as she touched his arm and smiled a slightly pained smile. She stood up and made her way upstairs to her bedroom. The curtains were still drawn from the last time she was in there. As she drew them open she stared out of the window, elbow on the window sill, resting her head on her hand, and mused over the Esther situation.
As Tilly turned back, and took a step towards her desk she noticed her laptop wasn't properly closed. Her brow furrowed, she always closed it. She popped her head out of the bedroom door.
"George, did anyone use my laptop yesterday?" she called down.
"No!" George shouted back up to her.
She powered it up. It didn't seem like anyone had been on it. Nothing in the internet history either. She shrugged, and just assumed it was her own fault it wasn't properly closed.
The chaos of lunchtime descended and Jen slumped in the staff room chair wearily, examining her fingers which were stained with ink. She had a few seconds only of peace before Carla flopped down next to her. She was close – not touching – but close.
"Urgh, Mondays, huh?" Carla smiled. "Did you have a good weekend?"
Jen looked pensive. She'd not dreamed the peck on the cheek and the comment about not being single, and she wasn't sure how to act around her. All in all she decided that blind ignorance was probably the best way forward.
"Very nice thanks. Not being in work is always lovely, spent some time with my girlfriend and resolved some of the issues she was having with her ex. How about you?" It was a thinly veiled reminder aimed at Carla that she did have a girlfriend and was very much off the market thank-you-very-much.
"After spending a pleasant evening in the pub on Friday with you lot," she grinned, "I actually went out on Saturday too with some friends. No details, I don't kiss and tell", she winked, "but it was a fun night!"
"Uh, sounds interesting," Jen half feigned interest. She liked Carla a lot, but there was something intriguing about her that made Jen feel slightly uncertain.
Carla looked at her watch.
"You should come out with us sometime, it'll be… fun." She dropped her hand onto Jen's leg briefly, before standing up. "Things to do," she chimed and headed off. For the second time Jen sat bemused as Carla left her. She felt it was probably time she mentioned something to Tilly, just in case.
"And then, she touched my leg!" Jen squeaked with indignation.
"Where?"
"On my thigh."
"No, where were you in the school, idiot!" Tilly looked at Jen and shook her head and rolled her eyes with hopelessness.
"Oh! Stupid me. In the staff room. I mean, it was subtle – of sorts."
"Ah right. The point I'm obviously failing to make is that you weren't alone. You weren't misleading her in any way."
"Of course I wasn't misleading her. What are you implying?"
"It's your animal magnetism, Jen. Your milkshake is bringing all the girls to the yard!" Tilly laughed – almost snorted – at the ridiculousness of her own comment. Her blatant disregard of the whole thing irked Jen.
"Stop laughing, this isn't funny!" Jen frowned and pouted, neither of which Tilly could take seriously, despite the playful punch to her arm.
"She wants me y'know. You'll be sorry when we run away together, arm in arm, skipping across the Blackpool sands!" Jen raised an eyebrow to try and look serious, but even she couldn't help but eventually laugh at her own words.
"Seriously though, I wanted to mention it, just in case…"
"You're the new kitty on the block. It's just some harmless flirting babe, you've told her already you're taken," and Tilly squeezed Jen's hand and smiled at her. "But if she keeps pushing… it's harassment. Remember that." Jen nodded. Tilly was usually the calming voice of reassurance, and she was sure that Carla wouldn't be an issue. Jen wasn't so sure.